A cart for loading and carrying goods at a post office, a warehouse, or the like is normally provided with a loading plate for loading goods at the bottom of the main body of the cart, (front and rear wheel) castors rotatably installed at the front and the rear of the bottom of the loading plate for moving the cart, and a post and a handle installed at the rear of the loading plate, and a user of the cart can load and carry goods within a predetermined range while pushing the handle to rotate the castors.
Recently, as delivery services have become commonplace and warehouses have increasingly become large in size, the need for not only using carts only within a predetermined range, but also loading and moving carts in a transportation vehicle or stacking and storing a considerable number of carts in a warehouse facility, has steadily increased.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional cart, which is a small handcart made to carry goods, includes a loading plate 310 on which goods can be loaded, front wheels 320 and rear wheels 330 mounted at the bottom of the loading plate 320, and a handle 340 supported by the loading plate to extend upwardly. Goods are loaded on the loading plate 310 of the cart 300 and are then carried by pushing or pulling the cart with the handle 340. The front wheels 320 can be rotated 360° and can thus perform a steering role.
The above-mentioned prior art, however, has a disadvantage in that when goods are to be loaded or the cart is to be fixed, an additional device is needed or the cart needs to be propped by an object capable of braking the wheels of the cart because the cart is not provided with a braking device. The non-existence of a braking device in the cart may cause danger, especially when loading and carrying heavy goods.
In addition, since the handle is not foldable, the cart takes up a large space when being moved around, and it is inconvenient to move the cart. Also, even if the handle can be folded, a switch portion for folding the handle is likely to be placed on the loading plate and thus to be accidentally turned on or off by the goods loaded on the loading plate. As a result, a safety accident may be caused.
Moreover, when the cart collides with an obstacle, the cart can escape from the obstacle only by being moved backward and steered forward. Thus, it is difficult to operate the cart properly, especially when heavy goods are loaded. Also, damage to the obstacle may be caused.
Furthermore, since the wheels and parts that connect the loading plate and the wheels are all made of steel, hitting noise is generated and becomes severe over a period of use of the cart, thereby causing inconvenience.
Therefore, the applicant of the present invention has suggested ways to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art in Korean Patent No. 10-1452757.
The applicant of the present invention will now propose herein an improved braking device of a cart, which is operable with ease and convenience by the foot of a user, based on the techniques disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1452757.